kuehne



F. 0. KUEHNE. JR., AND 1:. KRAMER.

POWER TRUCK.

APPLICATION FILED DEc.24, I92o.

1,405, 1,37. Patented Jan. 31, 1922.

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FRED 0. K'UEHNE, JR., AND lJ'ULLI'US KRAMER, OFl CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 PULLMAN :DAVENPORT & UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE COMPANY, y0]!" CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS. f

` rownn Tanon y Appiieetion filed December' 24, 1920.r` yseifiei No. 433,017'.y -y i To @ZZ whom t may concern." Be it known that we, FRED O. KUEHNE, Jr., and JULiU's KRAMER, both citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in a Power Truck,l of which the following is a specification. u

' This invention relates particularly to a truck for moving loads of lumber, or other materiahfrom'one position to another and has for its principal object' to simplify and facilitate the movement of loaded trucks to,

and from the motor truck and for bodily transporting such trucks with the motor truck itself.

Among the other objects of thefinvention are: to provide means for automatically braking the winding drum eachv ytime the driving power engagement therewith is out duce the improved construction, combination and arrangement of the parts as herein shown and described.k

The accompanying drawing shows av 'plan view of a power truck constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention.

This invention is particularly designed and intended for transporting truck loa-ds of lumber, or the like, fromV an `outside or loading yard by means of the power truck, to a drier, or the like, and from the drierk to a cooling ortempering chamber. In order to facilitate this movement the loading trucks are mounted on tracksl and 2 at opposite sides of the power truck which'coincide in width with rails 3 extending lengthwise of the power truck itself. The loaded trucks are wheeled on to the rails 3 of the power truck which is then moved bodily with the loaded truck thereon to some other `position in which'the railsy 3 coincide with rails 1 or 2 on either side of the power such for example, as a drier ony oneside of the power truckrand a cooling chamber'on Specification of Letters Patent.

, Patented J an. 31, 1922,

the otherA side yof the powertr Itis'obvious that the drier and;` the cooling chainber maybe opposite each other', they maybe onk the same side of the power truck or they may be on opposite sides some distance apart: v The truck itself comprises a lframe with longitudinallyI extending beams 4 connected at the center and ends by cross beams 5 in which are mountedv supportingwheels 6 andy 7 which run on the rails 8, extending transversely of the power truck. It is obvious that the shape of the track and the'disposi'- tion of the rails 3 thereofA areimmaterial;

the truck may be wide enough for a number of tracks 3.

Mounted at one end of the power truck is an electric motor 9 which is connected through a reduction gear y10 to a jack shaft and as shown, preferably receives itscurl11. vThe motor may be of any suitable type,

rent supply fromvcontact rails 12`by means of brushes 13 carried on the truck frame and through a reversing switch 14 which is movable from a neutralposition kto makeconnections for operating the l motor in either direction.

Mounted upontlie'jack'shaft 11 are two if friction clutch members 15 and 16 each havingarins 17 for 'engagement with a collar-'18 I betweenl them on the shaftk 11, so that the movement of the collar in either direction by meansof a-leverp19 will connect-,either the friction clutch member 15k or the other shaft 11. Thisy lever 19 is connected' by *means of av rovd`2O with a shifting lever 21 `member 16 for drivingengagement with the 90 which is usually placed at the end of .the

truck adjacent the motorV 9 and convenient to the reversing 'switch 14.

1* One of the clutch members 15fhas a bevel #pinion 22 which engages a bevel gear-23 mounted upon a shaft 24` upon which a winding drum 1 25 is also mounted. The .other friction clutch member 16 has a pinion26 which engages with a gear 27 mounted on a driving shaft 28 which preferably has three supporting wheelsl 6 and 7, at one side of the truck mounted thereon. In operation, it 'is n `obvious that the drum 25 or the driving reversing switch 14. y i

Mounted upon the central and end cross pieces v5 are short shafts 29 upon each of which a ysingle grooved pulley 30 is freely movable. The drum 25 carries a cable 31 which is wound thereon or unwound therefrom depending upon the direction ofthe movement of the drum, and a hook 32 is commonly provided at the end of the cable for engaging the loaded trucks which are drawn upon the power truckifrom the side tracks .1 and 2. Vhen it is desired to pull theloaded truck upon the power truck,.the hookf32 ofthe. cable is connected to the far end of the loaded truck which can then be drawn entirely upon Vthe power truck by the operation of the motor 9. In withdrawing theloadedttruck from the power truck, the

cable 31 is passed over apulley 31"L at the far end ofthe tracks 1 or 2, and is then connected Vto theloaded truck on the power truck, the operation of the motor 9 thereupon drawing off the loaded truck in a well knownmanner. -In either 0f these operations, the cable 31 will be wound or. unwound from the drum V35,and if laid in the groove of one or some of the pulleys 30, the movement ofthe cable is .freefrom frictional engagement.

In order to stop4 or retard the movement of thepower` truck in either direction, a: pulleyf33 ismounted on the driving shaft 28, .and `a normally free clutch band 311 is operatedin anywellknown mamier to engage thepulleywhen it is desired. The operating means includes a spring pressed arm 35 connected by a rod 36 to a pedal 37 disposed adjacent the shift lever 31. l

Itis also. desirable that a brakebe provvidedifor the drum 25 which will be in operation onlywhen'the drum is at rest. For this purpose a spring pressed brake member 38 is mounted to bear against the bevel gear 23 but can be ywithdrawn therefrom by means of av bell crank 39 anda connecting member 40 which extends beyond the lever 19 and has a projection 41 which is engaged only by the leverwhentheilever is movedina direction to connect the friction driving element 15 'which operates the drum, with the shaft 11.

In the other direction of movement the member 40 is noty moved. VThus it is obvious, that whenever the shift lever 21 is brought back vto neutral position after Vbeing moved to operate the drum, the brake member 38 will be ,applied to the gear 23 to retard and stop the movement of the drum.

With this construction it is obvious that 4loaded trucks can be moved and transported :in any desired manner, the cable may be used for drawing them from a'distance orfwith- V'drawing them from the power truck itself;

Vthat they may be at the side of the pit in which such a truck is usually operated, or

-theymayfbe overhead wires, or there may be a fixed connection to the reversing switch through a trailing cable.

A hand operated power element such as a crank or a ratchet mechanism may replace the electricmotor. changes may be made in the construction, combination and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

We claim:

1. In a power truck, the combination with a reversible motor and a driving shaft operated thereby, of'a winding drum, a driving shaft for moving the truck, and means including Va pair of clutch members and a single operating lever therefor to connect either the truck driving shaft or the winding drum to the motor driving shaft.

2. In a self contained power truck of unitary character, a reversible motor and a shaft driven thereby, in combination with a winding drum, a driving shaft for the truck, meansfor connecting either the winding drum or the truck kdriving shaft with the motor shaft, and braking means separately operable for retarding the .truck driving shaft and the winding drum, the drum brake beingoperatively connected to the drum and motor shaft-connecting means to It is obvious that other render said brake and drum alternatelyv effective.

3. In a lumber handling system, a drykiln having a series of parallel tracks, a

Ytransfer track disposed lcrosswiseof said extending transversely of the track, a driving motor for the truck and the drum, a cable adapted tobewound upon the drum, and a plurality of supports for the cable, said supports each comprising a short bar extending parallel with the drum axis, and a pulley mounted for freelongitudinal aud rotary movement on the bar, and having a groove adapted to seat the cable therein for lessening the friction. of the cable. Y

5. .In a power truck, a reversible driving shaft, a winding drum, Va power Vshaft for operating the truck, means for connecting either the winding drum` or the truck opv shaft, and a lever operated clutching member between the 'two frictional engaging means movable in opposite directions from a neutral position to engage one or the other of them.

6. In a power truck of the class described, a reversible power shaft, a truck driving shaft, a winding' drum, means for connecting the winding drum or the truck driving shaft to the power shaft, said means comprising a lever movablein one direction from a central position for causing the engagement of the winding drum with the power shaft, and in the other direction from the central position for causing the engagement of the driving shaft with the power shaft, anda brake which normally holds the winding drum against rotation in either direction with operating means therefor which is released when the said operating lever is moved in a direction to cause the engagement of the winding drum with the power shaft.

7. In a power truck, a reversible power' shaft, a truck driving shaft, a winding drum, a brake for the truck driving shaft,

a brake for normally holding the winding f shaft and means for braking it in either direction, a winding drum having lts axis at right angles to the truck driving shaft, two frictional clutch members mounted on the motor shaft, and connected one to the truck driving shaft and lthe other to the winding drum, the clutch members includ- `ing operating arms extending toward each other, a collar movable on the motor shaft for engaging the arms of one clutch member. or the other, a lever for moving the collar :in either direction from a neutral position, a spring pressed brake for normally holding the winding drum in any position, and means for releasing this brake only when the said operating lever is moved in one direction from its neutral' position, the brake remaining in engagement when the lever is returned to neutral or is moved in the opposite direction therefrom.

9. A self-contained and unitary truck carrying a track which extends transversely of the direction of movement of -said truck, a motor mounted on said truckr and for bodily moving the truck with said load, the motor and the propelling means being belowfthe plane of the trac 11. In a material handling system, a self-contained power operated transfer truck having a railway track thereon to receive lumber-bunk-trucks,` which may be heavily loaded, said truck having a motor, means operable by power from said motor to move said bunk-trucks along said track for loading and unloading the transfer truck, supporting wheels arranged for carrying the truck transversely of the direction of its said track, and means to transmit tractive rpower from said motor to said wheels.

FRED O. KUEHNE, JR. JULIUS KRAMER. 

